Kodiak's Claim (3 page)

As if to give credence to Travis’ words, a louder grunt emerged from the back.

Tammy couldn’t help but hear her mother’s words repeat. Not just alone with one man, but two.
Please don’t let the newspaper read Too-stupid-to-live insurance investigator’s body was found…
Nope. She refused
to give in to her mother’s crazy paranoia and trusted her gut, and her gut said she had nothing to fear from these two.

Especially not-talkative Travis, who, despite his initial protest about taking her, now seemed determined to make the best of it. Given his loquacious nature, she thought it prudent to furtively question him about his boss and company.

“So how long have you been working for your cousin?”

“Since high school. The whole town pretty much does. Without the company we’d have no jobs. Even the general store would probably fold without it.”

“Your main export is coal?”

“Coal, some precious metals if the miners come across them. We do have a small fishing fleet, but a lot of that stuff gets sold or traded locally. And we also deal in timber.”

“Your trucks, which transport these goods out, are also the main means of bringing stuff in as well.”

“Yes. Without these regular runs, lots of families would have to travel hours for the basics. Reid came up with a system where we time our distribution drop-offs with pick-ups.”

“Sounds like an efficient businessman, your cousin.”

“He is.”

“What does he think of the trucks that have gone missing?”

“Despite what you might suspect, or how it looks, he’s not behind the disappearances. Reid cares too much about our town and the people to screw them like that.”

“Even you have to admit it’s kind of suspicious. I mean, come on, three trucks?”

Travis’ knuckles turned white where he gripped the wheel. “One was driven by a friend of mine. A missing friend, whose girlfriend is expecting their first child. Trust me when I say, we had nothing to do with this. No one from our town would stoop so low.”

“Then who would?” Tammy realized the oddness of her question, and yet, if these weren’t strokes of bad luck and someone was causing them, then why? Was it a rival company? That would make no sense. Why attack people and deliveries when someone could throw a monkey wrench in the operation by calling the ministry of labor, or the eco nuts? If either found a hint of impropriety, they could shut down operations with a few simple phone calls.

Whatever the real reason, Travis turned uncommunicative, and Tammy pulled out the claim to read it over again. They had a long drive ahead, and she wanted to know everything she could about the case.

Hours later, she was ready to shred the paperwork. Boring and not imparting anything she didn’t already know, all it seemed capable of managing was putting her to sleep, which, given her poor sleep in the motel—Johnny and Susan weren’t quiet in their mutual enthusiasm for each other—might not be a bad idea. The few hours of daylight this part of Alaska got came and went too quickly, leaving them in a pressing darkness she didn’t enjoy at all.

Since Boris didn’t seem inclined to give up his berth, and she wasn’t about to insist, she did her best to make herself comfortable in the front seat and nap. Easier than expected given the never-ending dull vista, lit only by the headlights, which did little more than illuminate the swath of coniferous trees lining the ice- and snow-covered route. Lulled by the engine and shadows, she slept.

The jolt alone wasn’t what woke her, the route had plenty of those, but the slowing down of the truck, which trembled until they came to a standstill, did.

Eyes grainy with sleep, she rubbed her face and around a yawn asked, “Why are we stopped? Are we there yet?” Or was this where her mother’s prediction came true and Travis turned into a wild mountain man determined to have his way with her while Boris grunted on the sidelines, waiting his turn.

“We seem to have a flat tire,” Travis announced.

“From what?” she muttered. An icicle? But given their location—the middle of nowhere—the better question was, “How do you fix it?”

“Not easily. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call it in.”

Without even zipping up his coat, Travis hopped out of the truck, the sudden swirling chill of the outdoors whipping through the cab and making her shiver. Its briskness also stole the question on the tip of her tongue.
Why is he going out there to call?
Odd, because he had a perfectly good CB system in the cab, where it was warm and illuminated. And yes, not so scary.

She couldn’t stop a shiver, whether from cold or the dark unknown outside the windows. Tammy zipped up the parka she’d not entirely removed, her driver apparently preferring a cool cab to a toasty heated one. The downy softness did not dispel the chill of foreboding, however.

How long would it take for a tow truck to show up and help change the tire? Should she call her mom on her satellite phone—and listen to her ‘I told you so’? Should she panic because of the ululation of wolves that started outside, an eerie sound that raised every hair on her body? Suddenly the reports of blood found made a lot more sense. If the drivers got dumped from their trucks, how long would they last without shelter or a weapon? Gulp. Welcome to the great outdoors.

Of more concern, where the hell was Travis? He’d jumped out of the truck to make his call, but peering out of the windows, snow and shadows made visibility impossible. She couldn’t spot him. “This is not happening,” she muttered, especially considering she was weaponless. Given the tighter rules since 9/11, she’d not even tried to bring her registered gun with her on the flight. She’d figured she could always pick one up somewhere once she arrived. She would have, if she’d had time.
Time I should have made,
she thought with a shiver as the howls seemed to get closer.

Either the approaching wildlife or their lack of motion roused the man in the back. Boris poked a grizzled head from the gap in the curtains. “What’s happening? Why are we stopped?”

“Flat tire.”

“Where’s Travis?”

“Outside somewhere. Which might not be a good place for him.” She pointed to the yellow eyes emerging from the gloom. Wolves. Quite a few of them, and look, she finally got an answer as to where Travis was. In the glow of the truck’s headlights, Travis appeared, tucking his phone into his pocket, and while his lips moved, she couldn’t tell what he said.

Boris cursed under his breath. “I should go help.”

“Help? Are you out of your mind? For that matter, is Travis out of his? We are safer staying in this truck. Wolves or not, they can’t open doors or chew through metal. If we stay in the cab, we’ll remain safe.”

“Good plan. You stay in the truck.” Boris wedged his massive shoulders sideways in an attempt to squeeze into the front.

She would have asked Boris where he thought he was going and what exactly he thought he could do, but a more disturbing thing was happening. She leaned forward. “Why is Travis taking off his coat? And his boots. Is he seriously stripping?” Her voice grew more and more shrill as the situation went from weird to extremely disturbing.

“See, this is why I won’t ever get married. Women! Always asking questions,” grumbled Boris. He pulled back behind the curtain, and she heard him rummaging.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“What needs to be done. Sleep, little human.”

Sleep? Was this man as lunatic as his partner? A prick on the side of her neck saw that thought and all others sliding away as she slumped into darkness.

It just so happened, according to satellite co-ordinates, that Reid was close by when the call from Travis arrived. He’d not meant to head out so far, but his gut—and his bear—insisted he ride parallel to the route his next delivery would arrive from. If there was one thing Reid had learned when he served overseas, it was to listen to his instincts. If they screamed he would probably be needed, then he heeded the warning.

“What is it, Trav?”

“Boss, we’ve got a problem. A couple actually. The most pressing is I got a flat tire.”

“From what?”

“Nothing I could see.”

“So, in other words, you don’t know if it’s intentional or not.”

“Nope. But I’m gonna need help.”

“With the tire? You know how to change a tire. You’ve got Boris to give you a hand.” Between the two of them, they had enough muscle to handle it.

“The flat is not the problem nor are the wolves.”

Reid straightened his spine. “Wolves? Shifters or wild ones?”

“Given their tiny size, I’d say wild ones, but they look hungry.”

They always were this time of the year. “So take care of them.”

“I plan to. It’s the human I’m not sure what to do with.”

Those words caused Reid to practically fall off his snowmobile as he barked, “Human? What fucking human, and what the hell is he doing in your truck?”

“First off, he is a she, and she didn’t give me much of a choice when she showed up this morning in the truck yard.”

As Travis quickly relayed who she was and why she rode with him, Reid’s irritation swelled. He’d expected some kind of insurance investigator to show up at one point, a human he had no way of diverting. Damn his insurance company. But he’d at least expected some kind of warning. Getting ambushed like this didn’t sit well with him at all.

Unfortunately, while he could control who moved into the town he ruled, he couldn’t control outside forces, and the need for insurance to run a business was one of them. Usually Reid would have swallowed the cost of a lost truck and not reported it, but with three missing, and foul play suspected against the drivers? Three was too many even for him to hide. Not to mention he couldn’t quite absorb or eliminate it from the ledgers cost-wise, not without drawing even more unwanted attention. The IRS gave no one any quarter.

Reid had to make a snap decision. “Forget what I said before. Don’t do anything. We can’t risk this broad suspecting what you are. I’ll send a team to help with the tire.”

“What about the wolves?”

“Ignore them. They should scatter when the others arrive on their sleds.” Reid included himself among that number. Sometimes just the scent of his bestial side was enough to send unenlightened creatures running. True shifters on the other hand? They always knew to run when he showed up sporting a scowl.

“Ignore the wolves? Yeah, I don’t think that’s an option.”

“Travis!” Reid growled his cousin’s name. “There is a human watching. Get in the truck and play cool.”

“Ah, come on, cuz. That’s no fun.”

“No fun is letting the girl know what we are.”

“No, no fun is letting her get eaten.” Travis’ tone turned from mocking to serious. “Remember what I said about the wolves not being shifters?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, apparently I spoke too soon. Their alpha just showed up, and he’s definitely not run-of-the-mill. Gotta go.”

Before Reid could yell at him, the phone went dead, and Reid almost sent it flying off into the woods. But he reined in his temper. He needed the co-ordinates of Travis’ location. Punching them into the GPS of his snowmobile, it showed him less than four miles from his cousin.

Only minutes at top speed on his sled. Minutes that could cost Travis his life—and impact Reid’s.

His Aunt Betty-Sue would skin him if her boy didn’t make it back to town in one piece.

Throttle open all the way, and his RPM in the flashy red, Reid sped to the rescue. The rumble of his engine hid the sound of battle as he approached the area, but he saw the headlights of the truck long before that. Ditching his machine, Reid stripped quickly, his clothing specially made to allow for a rapid shed. Only dumb shifters with money to burn ripped through their wardrobe.

Bones cracked and reformed as Reid took off running. He hit the ground on four paws, claws digging into the icy surface for purchase, his shivering human skin disappearing under a layer of thick, brown fur. When he opened his mouth, now full of sharp teeth, his roar echoed and declared to all that he’d arrived, a fact he didn’t give the wolves time to digest before he bowled into them, massive paws slashing.

In the heat of battle it was difficult to really perceive individual events. Everything happened in a blur of sound, motion, and snatched glimpses. Reid took in the action in snapshot glances. There was a grizzly, his cousin, with a wolf hanging off his side, its teeth clamped while Travis held another in a hug, their snapping jaws fighting for the killing blow.

Furry, snarling shapes lunged and dove. Some of them thought to gang up on Reid, but it would take more than a few mangy gray wolves to worry him. If this had been a pack of true werewolves though, then he would have really had a good time. Wild and puny, normal ones, though? Piece of decadent maple pie.

Reid tore into them, the coppery taste of blood warm on his tongue. While he might have balked in his human shape at the flavor, his beast reveled in it. He ruled these parts. He protected his clan. And these scurvy curs would feel his wrath.

His breath puffed out, a white steam from his nostrils, as he waded into battle, determined to teach them all a lesson, a fatal one. At the edge of his vision, he caught a glimpse of antlers. Boris, his massive moose frame trampling the wolves nagging his hocks while he tossed his head, his wide rack of antlers banging about the large wolf snarling at him.

Aha, the leader.

Ignoring those still snapping for his attention, Reid lumbered toward Boris and the shifter who was obviously in charge of this attack. He bellowed a challenge, expecting the alpha wolf to meet him. After all, the bastard had the balls to attack his truck and his people. If a run for leadership of his clan was what he wanted, then Reid would oblige. But the yellow-bellied coward didn’t turn to face him. With a sharp yip, the large wolf turned tail and ran.

What the fuck?

Reid almost chased after. His Kodiak certainly wanted to, but common sense prevailed. Travis, barely more than a cub really, let adrenaline dictate his actions and would have raced after the shifter, but Boris stepped in his path and grunted. Funny how, whether man or beast, he sounded pretty much the same.